The great debate: Why no helmets for women's lacrosse?

Many concerned after increase in concussions

Lacrosse is the fastest growing team sport in the country, increasing in popularity especially among girls, yet many are wondering why girls don't wear helmets for a game that has also seen a large increase in concussions.

While some people say that in the girls' games, there's no checking -- sticks are not to cross that sphere near the head -- but others say that doesn't always happen.

Bullis School senior Carley Sturges, 18, is fierce on the lacrosse field and loves the sport. Last year during a tournament, she took a hit to the head with a lacrosse stick.

"I was going for a ground ball. One girl knocked my goggles off and the other slashed me across the temple. I remember falling. I didn't black out. I kept playing, so I knew when I got home something was wrong. I didn't feel right," she told 11 News I-Team reporter Lisa Robinson. "I was really tired and my head was pounding."

Sturges ended up with a concussion that took her out of her Potomac high school and out of the game for two and a half months. Her mother, Wendy Sturges, said she remembers her daughter having a rough time.

"She did a lot of sleeping and mumbling and not even being able to carry on a conversation," she said.

After a lot of research, the Sturges family made a decision that once Carley healed, she would wear a soft helmet when she played. She wore it for rec ball, and when the school lacrosse season started this year, she was not alone with it on the field.

The athletic director and head varsity lacrosse coach Kathleen Lloyd made a rule to have all the girls wear soft helmets. The equipment is allowed under U.S. lacrosse rules since it has not established a standard for such headgear, Robinson reported.

"We had nine total -- nine concussions that kept the girls from playing lacrosse," Lloyd said when explaining her decision. "Last year, we had multiple concussions for many different reasons. We decided to implement helmets this year and have the varsity and JV wear them just to see if it would help in cutting down the number of concussions the team will have."

Yet at least one doctor isn't convinced the soft helmets will work.

"I'm not so sure a soft helmet is going to protect against a stick and a ball," said Dr. Kevin Crutchfield, the director of the Comprehensive Sports Concussion Program at Sinai Hospital. When asked why the men's game didn't adopt a soft helmet, he responded, "They went to a hard helmet to protect against the stick and the ball. I don't think a soft helmet is going to make a difference."

Crutchfield said he sees athletes, both professional and youth players, for serious sports-related head injuries. He said he's seen a number of women's lacrosse players.

"The sicker ones -- the most serious ones that make it to my clinic -- are stick-to-head or ball-to-head injuries," he said.

But Lloyd said she knows the helmet is not fool-proof and said that, so far this season, they have only had two concussions.

"We think this can protect our girls to be as safe as possible," she said.

Opponents concerned about changing the game

Opponents of helmets for girls' lacrosse argue that helmets would change the game. 11 News checked with U.S. Lacrosse, the governing body of men's and women's lacrosse that's based in Baltimore, and it said it's aware of the concern.

"Changing the culture of the game -- changing the nature of the game -- is a concern. Increasing the physicality of the game is a concern. People play with a greater sense of invincibility when they have protection," said Ann Carpenetti, the managing director of U.S. Lacrosse.

The group said it wants to find a balance and is working on establishing an appropriate standard for women's lacrosse regarding headgear.

"We're focused on keeping the integrity of the game while not compromising player safety," Carpenetti said.

Meanwhile, Carley Sturges and her parents said they are happy with their decision.

"We saw it as a prophylactic thing to do as a parent, so we felt that if it would give her more self-confidence and add a little protection to her, we feel it was a better thing to do," Wendy Sturges said.

"It helped me rebuild my confidence," Carley Sturges said. She said as long as she plays lacrosse she will wear the helmet, even next year in college.

Crutchfield said he wants to see women's lacrosse go to hard helmets like the men wear.

"I don't think girls are going to play a rougher game. I think we are going to dramatically see a reduction in the number of concussion injuries in women's lacrosse," he said.

U.S. Lacrosse and Crutchfield both agreed that any player suspected of having a concussion will be removed from the game and not allowed to play until they have been cleared by an appropriately trained professional. Crutchfield said it should be a doctor trained to deal with traumatic brain injuries.

When a player gets hit again before the brain is fully healed, they risk something called Second Impact Syndrome, which can result in permanent brain damage or death, doctors said.

U.S. Lacrosse said another way to cut down on injuries is to have stiffer penalties for aggressive and dangerous plays.

Concussion Seminar

Crutchfield will be hosting a FREE concussion education webinar on May 30 at 6:30 p.m. Go to Lifebridge Health's website, or call 410-601-WELL (9355) to register.